Maryland gymnastics heads to NCAA tournament seeking first title

Maryland's gymnastics team has it's highest seeding ever heading into the NCAA tournament

Author:
Tom Hunsicker

Published:
2:24 AM EDT April 5, 2019

Updated:
6:57 PM EDT April 5, 2019

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland's gymnastics program is seeking to make history.

Only six programs have won national championships since 1982. The Terps will try to become the seventh.

The road to a national championship for Maryland begins in the Athens Regional.

For the Terps, being in the tournament is an exciting feeling.

"Anytime any team makes the NCAA tournament, it's amazing," says Maryland sophomore Collea Burgess. "We were just so happy to sit down at that selection show and find out that we're going to Georgia. It was just a rush of adrenaline."

"This is such an exciting time of the year for us," adds Maryland head coach Brett Nelligan. "The gymnasts have worked really hard all season, and kind of battled through injuries and illness to get us to this point. We're thrilled to go down there, and represent the University of Maryland.

The Terps achieved the highest ranking leading into the NCAA tournament since 2013. They also have the highest regional seed in school history.

"It's just amazing," says Maryland sophomore Collea Burgess. "Knowing that this season we pushed so hard, and this is our highest seeding, is such a rewarding feeling."

"It's huge," says Nelligan. "All the work that they put in, to see this as the result as getting a high seed, giving yourself a great opportunity to advance to the next round, it's everything we could have asked for."